Honey Balsamic Chicken Tenders

$4.99 recipe / $1.25 serving

Funny story – I was going to make this honey balsamic chicken with chicken thighs, but they were $3.49/lb. and the boneless, skinless chicken breasts were on sale (again) for $1.99/lb… so… yeah. Chicken tenders it was!

Obviously not everyone will catch this $1.99/lb. chicken sale as often as I do, so go with whatever cut is the best deal. To make this recipe with something like chicken thighs, just brown the thighs in the skillet (just like I did with the breasts) and finish cooking them in the oven for about 20-30 minutes at 375 degrees. Prepare the sauce in the skillet in the same manner as listed below. The sauce should be enough for four medium sized chicken thighs.

This chicken is bursting with flavor from the tangy balsamic vinegar, sweet honey, and rich butter. I seasoned mine simply with salt and pepper, but if you want a more herbal flavor you could always add a pinch of dried basil or thyme.

I’ve been eating my Honey Balsamic Chicken Tenders with the Jewel Pasta from earlier this week and they’re a perfect pair!!

Honey Balsamic Chicken Tenders

Honey Balsamic Chicken Tenders

The sweet and tangy sauce on these Honey Balsamic Chicken Tenders is a quick way to jazz up simple chicken breasts.

Total Cost
$4.99 recipe / $1.25 serving

Prep Time35minutes

Cook Time15minutes

Total Time50minutes

Servings4

Ingredients

2medium 1.5 lbs. chicken breasts $2.99

1/4cupbalsamic vinegar $0.80

1clovegarlic $0.08

2Tbspolive oil, divided$0.24

to taste salt & pepper $0.05

1Tbspbutter $0.10

2Tbspbalsamic vinegar $0.40

3Tbsphoney $0.33

Instructions

Slice the chicken breasts on a diagonal into six strips each. Place the strips in a quart sized zip top bag along with 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, one clove of garlic (minced), 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients in the bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

When you’re ready to cook, heat the second tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the strips until browned on both sides (about 2-3 minutes each side). You may have to do two batches. Place the cooked chicken on a clean plate.

Turn the heat down on the skillet to medium-low and add the butter and last 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the skillet. Use a spoon to stir the mixture and dissolve the sticky bits off of the bottom of the skillet. Once the mixture has dissolved together, add the honey, increase the heat, and allow the sauce to simmer until thickened (about five minutes).

Once the sauce has thickened, season to taste with salt and pepper (I just used a pinch of each). Add the chicken back to the skillet and toss to coat in the warm balsamic sauce. Serve immediately.

Step By Step Photos

First slice the chicken into strips approximately 1 inch wide. Cut the strips on a diagonal across the chicken breast so they are a fairly uniform length and width.

Place the sliced chicken in a zip top bag along with 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, a clove of minced garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at elast 30 minutes.

When you’re ready to cook, heat the second tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil is nice and hot, add the chicken strips. Cook until golden brown on both sides. You may have to cook in two or three batches.

The more browned your chicken is at this step, the better the color will be at the end. This first batch of strips was kind of blond…

But the next batch got nice and brown. Place the cooked chicken on a clean plate.

Your skillet will likely have a coating of sticky residue in it, which is a good thing. This is flavory goodness and will dissolve into the sauce.

After removing the cooked chicken, reduce the heat to medium-low so that the butter will not burn. Add the butter and balsamic vinegar. Stir the mixture together, allowing the butter to melt and the residue on the bottom of the skillet to dissolve into the liquid.

Once everything has dissolved off of the bottom of the skillet, stir in the honey. Increase the heat (if needed) and allow the mixture to bubble and simmer until thickened. This should happen fairly quickly – about 5 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet and coat it in the honey balsamic sauce.

I made this yesterday. It was pretty good. I made some great sandwiches that included 1) the chicken tenders on a sandwich round 2) already cooked bacon 3) slice of cheddar cheese. Needless to say, it was fabulous. The only downside was that the vinegar / olive oil popped like crazy on my stove top. I had a royal mess and the house smelled like chicken tenders the rest of the day.

Hi! I’m Beth

As a food lover and a number cruncher I've decided that cooking on a budget shouldn't mean canned beans and ramen noodles night after night. Join me for delicious recipes designed for small budgets. More »